Anderson stacks for the pass during training at Black House academy. Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG.

Few guard passes are as classic and effective as the stack, a technique that even Anderson Silva makes sure to practice, as you can see in the photo above, taken by Gustavo Aragão.

Useful both in and out of the gi, the stack was also used to good effect by Xande Ribeiro in the World No-Gi Championship final against guard-specialist Leandro Lo.

So what do you do when someone pressures you like the aforementioned Xande and Anderson do? Today GRACIEMAG.com has a remedy for this problem for you.

Rule number one in keeping from getting stacked is to keep your hips flush up against the ground.

But how do you do that? Rodrigo Cavaca explains it.

“When your hips are on the mat, the opponent can’t come up with the room he needs. So what I do is sink a grip on each of his sleeves and push backwards so he can’t get his hands together to stack me,” says the coach for team CheckMat.

“When the opponent makes it to a position from which he can stack me, I grab his gi and start shrimping out my hips until I’ve got both feet on the ground. After that, I grab his belt with my left hand. I post on my right hand so I can draw in my hips and sit. I use my left arm to put pressure on the opponent’s shoulder and keep him from posturing up,” says Cavaca.

“I reach my right hand under his arm to grab the lapel on the opposite side. After that, I bring in my right elbow and move out my hip until I’ve got room enough to stick a hook in under his leg. With the hook and my arm holding the belt, I tip him over for the sweep. Then I release the grips and mount,” said the man who gave Marcus Bochecha his black belt in conclusion.

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Thiago Silva submits till-then-unbeaten Nedkov at UFC Macau. Photo by Josh Hedges/UFC publicity

“I saw his [Nedkov’s] face. His expression changed. So I decided to try and take him down. I took the right opportunity. He hits hard; but I never quit.”

Thiago Silva, after tapping out Stanislav Nedkov and winning Submission of the Night Bonus at UFC Macau

I like testing my Jiu-Jitsu under all rules—No-Gi; ADCC; no points, like at Metamoris… Everyone’s always asking me when I’m going to quit, so I’ll put this challenge out there: when someone passes my guard, then I’ll quit (laughs).”

Xande Ribeiro, half serious, half joking, after winning two gold medals at the 2012 No-Gi Worlds

“To me Leandro Lo is still the number one lightweight in the world. I feel his game is heavily dependent on [gi] grips; that’s why I managed to beat him.”

Augusto Tanquinho, after routing Leandro Lo 9-0 in the No-Gi Worlds semifinal

“It’s great to compete without stopping to look at the scoreboard. That’s the idea behind Jiu-Jitsu—to think only about making the opponent quit, to tap him out. I hate competing against those guys who go in there to win by advantages, or hang on to one position just so they can sweep at the end. That makes for ugly Jiu-Jitsu.”

Marcus Bochecha

“Strikeforce, which airs on Showtime, will be running its last event in January before folding up shop for good.”

Report on TMZ Sports website, regarding Ronda Rousey’s arrival at the UFC and the end of the event that put her in the limelight

“And I’ve even got Wanderlei Silva on my team? Look, I may not win it, but it will be the funniest TUF ever!”

Fabricio Werdum, after being confirmed as coach on TUF Brazil opposite Rodrigo Minotauro

Caio Terra sinks the winning rear-naked choke in the roosterweight final. Photo by Ivan Trindade/GRACIEMAG.

GRACIEMAG: You’re the first and only five-time No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu world champion. But your first titles came at light featherweight, and now you’re down to roosterweight. What happened?

CAIO TERRA: I did an experiment on my body. I know my body well, and knew I could drop a bunch of weight without suffering, and ended up weighing 54 kilos, two less than what I needed to be to make roosterweight. And I wasn’t even thirsty or hungry! I even felt I could have dehydrated, but everything worked out well. I have no intention of making this weight again, but I thought it was interesting to discover that I can make 54 kg with no problem and still be just as nimble.

The half-guard has proven to be a dangerous weapon, and when you were on top you seemed to ignore it, both in the final and the semifinal…

Usually the half-guard, especially the deep half-guard, is the guard of choice for the player on bottom. But it’s not a position that frightens me. I study the whole spectrum of Jiu-Jitsu positions, not just that one, and so my body is used to it and understands my opponents’ reactions and defends multiple attacks. And as I was training to face Jeff Glover the previous month, I was really quick when on top in half-guard.

You seemed really relaxed at the 2012 No-Gi World Championship, after and especially during your two matches…

I feel a lot of Jiu-Jitsu competitors dub themselves “fighters” and end up believing it. A lot of folks go to championships like they would go to war, using all the force in the world, and they end up not learning anything. Some leave battle victorious; others, defeated. I have nothing against it; but I’m not going to kill anyone, nor fight for survival. I want to play Jiu-Jitsu for the rest of my life. I love training, and I don’t kill myself in training, because that way I’d end up retiring five, ten years from now.

That’s something you pass on to your students, right?

Yes. Jiu-Jitsu isn’t professional enough a sport yet for us to make a living just competing at tournaments. So I’d rather show that technique conquers all. I have to serve as an example for my students, and I want to give them the right example, mainly to the kids, since these days people are starting Jiu-Jitsu younger and younger.

What’s your take on the final against Fabbio Passos of team Alliance?

Fabbio is an excellent athlete and does a good job of defense. He may not have been warmed up when he entered the match, which gave me the opportunity to take his back so quickly. I think it was either coincidence or just my luck.

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

How do you divide your time between being an athlete and being Carlos Condit’s Jiu-Jitsu coach as he prepares to face GSP at UFC 154?

I had a lot of help from Itallo Vilardo, who’s probably currently the most qualified conditioning coach in the realm of Jiu-Jitsu. He didn’t just get me in shape; he helped me cut weight. Truth is, I only really trained Jiu-Jitsu on the week of the championship. I did a lot of aerobic exercise on my Versa Climber machine and my gas was great, better than it was at any other championship I’d been in over the last five years. Oh, the only mishap was that I ran late and missed signing up for the absolute. I’ll be at the next one.

The Long Beach Pyramid, the venue for the No-Gi World Championship / Photo by Regis Chen/GRACIEMAG

No-Gi-Jiu-Jitsu hunting season is about to open. The European Championship is coming up this October 21 in London, while on the 3rd and 4th of November there’ll be the No-Gi World Championship at the Long Beach Pyramid in California.

To motivate you to stick your neck out in the IBJJF tournaments, check out the following lessons from Roberto Cuartero,  our GMA in Jacksonville, Florida. The Gracie Barra South Jax black belt teaches a series of Kimura-lock attacks from closed guard.

Take note of how the trick is to break the opponent’s posture with the help of your legs. Watch and comment: does the moves work with your game?

To get in on the European No-Gi Championship, click here. To test your game at the No-Gi Worlds, click here.

Roberto Cyborg in action at 2011 No-Gi Worlds / Photo by John Cooper/IBJJF

The No-Gi champion of the world in 2011, Roberto Cyborg is holding a series of seminars around the United States and isn’t yet sure if he’ll be putting in an appearance at the Long Beach Pyramid this November 3 and 4 to fight for a second world title.

Also known as Mr. Tornado, our GMA in Miami put together the following video, where he demonstrates some excellent exercises for getting an unbeatable guard and hips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLyXY-LTXew

Now to get in on the 2012 No-Gi World Championship, click here.