Raphael Cadena represents RMNU HQ team. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Professor Raphael Cadena, our GMI in Florida, answered GRACIEMAG’s request and prepared a series of exercises for you to sharpen your grips on the spider guard. A representative of the RMNU HQ school and trained by A2 Jiu-Jitsu teacher Leandro Azara in Teresópolis, Raphael is a seasoned competitor and has prepared for you a simple and efficient spider guard sweep for you to implement in your game.

Check out the sweep below:

Juan Pablo Garcia lists the main goals of the guard. Photo: Reproduction

Author: Professor Juan Pablo Garcia

Before learning any type of sports guard in Jiu-Jitsu, you have to understand the main goal of the position.

Number one is self-defense, being able to control and neutralize an opponent’s attack while setting up submissions, sweeps, and reversals. The guard is a position where we use our legs and hips to control the distance between ourselves and our opponent.

There are several variations of the guard in BJJ, including the closed guard, open guard, and half guard. Each of these guards has its own set of techniques and strategies, but they all share the same goals of controlling an opponent’s movements and setting up attacks.

These are the 3 main objectives of any guard:

1. Taking the back

The guard is an excellent position to set up back attacks. You can use the guard to control the opponent’s posture and position, then transition to the back control position and work on securing a choke or other submission.

2. Sweeping & reversing

Sweeping is essential from the guard, and it involves off-balancing an opponent to take them to the ground. From the bottom position, you can use the guard to control an opponent’s posture and set up a sweep, which allows you to take the top position and gain a dominant position. You want to be on the top in a fight!

3. Submitting

The guard is also an effective position for submitting an opponent. You can use your legs to set up a variety of submissions, like chokes, and armlocks. The guard position allows a smaller and lighter person to defend themselves against a larger opponent and provides access to a variety of submissions, sweeps, and back attacks. It is important to understand the purpose of the guard and to practice guard retention and distance management to prevent an opponent from passing.

* Professor Juan Pablo Garcia is our GMI in charge of the EDJ Riverside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in California.

Marcelinho Garcia in action at 2011 Worlds / Photo by John Lamonica

Every now and then, do you catch yourself thinking about that one technique you seem unable to get right, or that part of your game that looks like a dead end? Relax. Our team put together five submissions beyond all reproach, taught by champions of the highest caliber. Let us know which works best for your game, and enjoy your training!

1. Alexandre Ribeiro teaches a choke

2. Marcelo Garcia teaches to warm up and finish in laid-back spar

(Special attention to the armbar at minute 5)

3. Roger Gracie teaches a sweep from closed guard

4. Rubens Cobrinha teaches how to finish at 2008 Pan

5. Vitor Shaolin teaches a sweep from half-guard and pressure on neck to help

They say that you should fear not the man who knows ten thousand kicks, but rather the man who has practiced one kick a thousand times. Black-belt world champion Bernardo Faria is that guy who does half-guard — this is what he’s known for. And we know this because he does it to every single opponent. He does it every day in the gym.

What he calls his “blue-belt half-guard” is a game he started as a blue-belt and has continued to use until now, after being a black-belt for six years and earning a black belt world title. It works because he has spent many, many hours on it. It works against the toughest opponents, against guys who know how to defend deep half and guys who have the strongest base.

He recently released a highlight of him completing a half-guard sweep over and over again on some of the most accomplished athletes in this sport.

What he has to say about choosing a specific game is this:

“In my opinion, to know a lot of techniques is not the hardest part. Everyone can know a lot of techniques if you really study jiu-jitsu. But I think the hardest part is knowing a technique so well that you are able to use it in any situation at any time. Like Malcolm Gladwell explains in his book Outliers regarding the ten thousand hours needed to find success, the hardest part is to spend the ten thousand hours on something. As long as you spend a lot of time on one thing, then you can become an expert on that one thing. I think what many people do is they change a lot and they don’t focus on one game.

“So I think that’s what I’ve done. I have probably spent ten thousand hours doing half-guard. ”

Kyra Gracie with the omoplata. Photo: Ivan Trindade

The omoplata submission is one of the most common arm attacks in Jiu-Jitsu. Similar to the kimura, it attacks the shoulder by locking up an arm with your legs. It is often used as a transitional position rather than a straight submission.

Here are seven breakdowns of the omoplata to brush up on or learn how to secure, how to transition and how to take advantage of the position:

1. Draculino teaches how to secure the omoplata from the spider guard:

2. Get the omoplata from knee on belly with Nino Schembri:

3. Your opponent is turtled? Christian Uflacker shows the inverted omoplata from this position:

4. Another way to finish the omoplata is with the horseshoe technique as explained by New Breed’s Johnny Ramirez:

5. Jackson Sousa shows how to spin under to secure the omoplata and sweep:

6. Once you’ve swept with the omoplata, go for the triangle from mount with Ricardo Cavalcanti:

7. If you’ve been caught in an omoplata, Robson Moura teaches how to defend and escape the submission:

Macarrão detailing his successful sweep.

Seldom seen in tournaments these days, the lob sweep starting from the guard and ending on the mount is one of the techniques that made Márcio “Macarrão” Stambowsky the talk of the town in the 80s. But those who study old-school BJJ can sometimes make what’s old new again.

Fighting at the 2018 edition of Gracie Pro, held last weekend in Rio, Lucas Cazuza, a brown-belt at Leão Teixeira Jiu-Jitsu School, resurrected the move to the delight of Master Leão Teixeira, who was watching closely.

“The guy he swept weighed in at 120kg on the scale,” Leão told Graciemag.

Check out the maneuver in the following video and get inspired to pull off something outrageous.

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Mestre Macarrão com detalhes da sua raspagem de sucesso. Foto: Reprodução

Pouco vista nos campeonatos hoje em dia, a raspagem de balão partindo da guarda e terminando na montada foi umas das técnicas que consagraram o mestre Márcio “Macarrão” Stambowsky, na década de 80. Quem aprende o Jiu-Jitsu oldschool, porém, vez ou outra tem acesso a essas pérolas de grande efetividade no Jiu-Jitsu.

Em ação no Gracie Pro, realizado no último final de semana, o atleta Lucas Cazuza, faixa-marrom da nossa GMI Leão Teixeira Escola de Jiu-Jitsu, botou a técnica em prática, para o orgulho do mestre Leão Teixeira, que conferiu de perto.

“O cara que ele raspou pesou 120kg na balança”, falou mestre Leão em conversa com GRACIEMAG.

Confira a técnica no vídeo abaixo, estude e quem saber você não soma mais uma raspagem inesperada ao seu jogo? Oss!

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Nino Schembri. John Cooper/GRACIEMAG.com

An experienced, creative BJJ teacher, Nino Schembri likes studying the minutiae of ground positions old and new. From all that research and testing, every so often he comes up with something novel. This time it’s the labyrinth guard.

Graciemag asked him for an exclusive video, and he delivered with this one. After locking his opponent’s arm under the leg, Nino has a tight armbar at his disposal, as well as some opportunities to sweep. On top, the armbar remains alive, and the game is wide open for him to work with an advantage.

Cobrinha adds to his big medal collection. Graciemag.

BJJ Hall of Famer Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles has nothing left to prove in the sport, but that doesn’t mean his performances are getting any less spectacular.

Recently the veteran fought in the adult featherweight division at the Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championship, and it came down to him and Rafael Mansur (NS Brotherhood).

Cobrinha got swept and was trailing, but then he achieved two reversals to give the scoreboard final numbers of 4-2. You can see it happen in this video.

Teacher Sérgio Bolão demonstrates the position. Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG.

A sixth-degree black-belt under Carlson Gracie, Sérgio Bolão was one of the strongest competitors of his generation, with many wins to his name against the likes of Fabio Gurgel, Leo Castello Branco and Jean Jacques Machado.

The experienced teacher, who has been practicing BJJ since 1981, has long been known for having an offensive guard, and, among the techniques up his sleeve, his favorite is the sweep from the open guard. In a variation of the butterfly guard nicknamed the bolonian, Bolão has sent many a great champion flying.

In this video he comments on his style, remembers moments with Carlson and teaches the detail to surprising one’s opponent with a sweep from the seated position. Watch to add this to your game.

Pay attention to the punctual grips and lethal levers by Rilion, who is deemed one of the most inventive guard players in the family.

A pupil of Leandro Lo, Braguinha was assigned to the black belt absolute, which was short on fighters. After a few matches, he saw himself face to face with absolute world champion Xande Ribeiro.

With a sweep audibly celebrated by the public, the hungry brown-belt won the two points that granted him the win over Ribeiro. Watch it all in the video below.