Black belt world champion Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro is our professor for the day.

Straight from his academy in New York City, he teaches us a sweep that starts in the half guard and ends in the opponent’s back.

Take some time and learn from the fifth-degree black belt that recently had a great showing at the 2016 WPJJC, finishing Daniel Moraes with a bow and arrow choke from the back.

Watch and add it to your game.

The man on the cover of GRACIEMAG 226, Marcelo Garcia teaches one of his favorite attacks using his trademark X-guard.

Learn how to set up a back take in simple and easy to learn steps.

Catch a class with one of the best competitors of all times and also one of the greatest professors in Jiu-Jitsu history.

Rubens Cobrinha is one of the most creative Jiu-Jitsu black belts out there.

In this video from 2012, he teaches two ways to beat the opponent’s spider guard and end on his/her back.

Check it out and add it to your game.

Seven-time no-gi world champion, Caio Terra is our Professor for this week’s video of the HOW-TO series.

Learn how to use the leg drag to get to the opponent’s back.

Watch closely and add it to your no-gi game.

On the second episode of the weekly series HOW-TO, Roger Gracie teaches one of his favorite ways to get to the opponent’s back.

It’s a simple movement that relies on a few key points highlighted in this video.

Watch closely and add it to your game.

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Tarcísio Jardim with the blue gi against Alexandro Ceconi, in Brazilian 2012. Photo: Carlos Ozório/GRACIEMAG.com

The heavyweight Paul Tarcisio Jardim is training at full speed to do well in Abu Dhabi on April 13 and 14 in the WPJJC professional event, with millionaire prizes. To shine in the event of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the black belt from CheckMat has sharpening his takedowns and his guard, not just at the gym, in João Pessoa, Paraíba. He also competed in the Pan 2013, at the end of March, where he won third place in his weight division.

Today, Tarcisio teaches some traps from the sitting guard so you can use it on your friends at the gym. The starting position begins in half guard, as he shows in the video below.

Note that, at :33, the black belt from Paraíba teaches how to master the grips and to fit the right leg on the opponent’s thigh in order to sweep.

At :39, with the grips, Tarcisio releases one grip and goes up to hold the opponent’s lapel and going over the right leg, taking away the opponent’s option of rolling and passing the guard.

At :57, Jardim comes back to the starting position with the grips dominated and encourages the opponent to pass the guard to the left. After that, he stretches the opponent’s leg taking the base away, but defends the position with his hand. Now you just need to release the grip on the left arm of the opponent and take the back. Use the hook on the opponent’s left foot, kick back and take the back.

And what if the opponent defends the sweep? Replace the hand on the lapel and sweep.

At 2:37, see how the professor passes the lapel from one hand to another. Note that he keeps the right leg stretched on the thigh of the opponent.

At 2:40, he supports his hand on the ground, lowers the leg and rotates the hip to sweep the opponent. Note that Tarcisio Jardim doesn’t release the lapel when the opponent is with his back on the floor.

Did it fit to your game? Tell us.

The brothers João and Paulo Miyao, still purple belts, at the 2011 World Championship (Photo by GRACIEMAG)

At the invitation of Professor Rodrigo Barbi, the brown belt João Ricardo Bordignon Miyao and his burly brother Paulo were in the town of Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, for a highly sought-after seminar this January. The brothers also visited the town of Novo Hamburgo for another seminar.

At Infiniti/Cicero Costha academy, the Miyao’s dazzled the 80 or so participants with a series of creative positions, such as guard passes and berimbolo techniques.

The brothers agreed to demonstrate one of their secrets exclusively to GRACIEMAG.com.

Check out how João Miyao’s berimbolo seems simple once explained in detail. João starts from spider-guard, uses the X-guard, distances the opponent’s base leg and easily takes the back.

Try it out in training. If you, like the Miyaos, are in Lisbon, maybe the move will help you find success at the European Open.

To check out the brackets for the European Open, unfolding all weekend in Portugal, visit the IBJJF website here.

Jacob Mackenzie on Ed Ramos’s back during Brazilian Team Nationals in Rio (Photo by Gustavo Aragão/GRACIEMAG)

Canadian black belt Jake Mackenzie is another one of the aces confirmed for combat at the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship to take place Jan. 24-27 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The middleweight, who is now training in London alongside Vinícius Marinho and Gabriel Ratinho at GFTeam England, spoke with GRACIEMAG.com about what he expects to find in Portugal.

“The European Open is always a fun tournament. I’m really excited about competing there at the end of the month,” said Jake, before offering his breakdown of his weight division. “I just moved to middleweight at the end of last year, so I haven’t had a chance to compete against all the top guys in the division yet. I know the competition in Portugal is going to be really stiff. That’s why I’m anxious to test myself out against everyone in the weight class.”

Known for his versatile half-guard game, the Canadian taught us an intricate back attack.

“In half-guard the game has to be really aggressive, with a series of variations; otherwise the guy will pass. It’s vital that you have a bunch of options so you’ll be able to confuse your opponent,” said Jake.

With the help of the decorated black belt Roberto Cyborg, Jake first pummels an underhook (minute 0.50) under Cyborg’s arm and loops his other arm around his buddy’s leg. Next he grabs the lapel and passes it under his opponent (minute 0.54). The trick is to be careful when lifting your body, because the opponent may roll out (minute 1.15). Upon pulling the lapel, make sure to unbalance the opponent (1:46 min), to next do the final roll (1:58 min) and make it to the back.

André Galvão attacks from the back. (GRACIEMAG archive photo)

In the Holiday spirit, the GRACIEMAG.com team wishes readers and practicioners a much smoother life in 2013, with excellent passes as well.

Hence, we decided to gift you with an acrobatic maneuver–for you to pass guard and tap your guard-playing partner out with a choke hold. The trick is in the cartwheel.

“When the guard player sits to sink his grips, to put the brakes on him you need to release your grips and distance yourself to spring for the cartwheel,” explains Professor Fabio Roger, who teaches the position in the following video.

Did you enjoy that? Happy holidays and plenty of health and Jiu-Jitsu for you and your whole family!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP2EgNzoTdQ

Ricardo Cavalcanti at seminar in Fortaleza, Ceará State, last September / Photo by Junior Samurai/GRACIEMAG.com

Ricardo Cavalcanti is a GMA of ours and the leader at Carlson Gracie Las Vegas, Nevada.

“At every seminar I teach, I learn as well. Everyone has something new to show. And Grandmaster Carlson Gracie has certainly been accompanying me at those seminars, because the thing he liked most was to see everyone training,” said the Jiu-Jitsu professor, today teaching us how to get an opponent out of mount.

Note how he grabs his own wrist as though to defend his arms. Next he raises his hip and puts a hook in at the opposite leg.

He thus sticks his opponent’s foot in his half-guard (as explained at minute 1:32), and then latches on to the leg, raises his legs and, with a seesaw motion, reverses the position and takes the back.

Always train under a qualified instructor’s supervision.

Otavio Sousa shows what a good back attack is worth, at the Chicago Open. IBJJF publicity photo.

When you’re pressuring past guard, often the opponent defends by turning on all fours. And there the old struggle begins: you try getting both your hooks in, he does his best not to let you, and you may very well loss the position, the roll or the match.

So how well does the thought of safely finishing with just one hook in sit with you?

Well that’s precisely what Maurício Fett, a Jiu-Jitsu professor at Jacarezinho Fett Fight academy, has to teach you. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. Do you tend to do something similar? Do you like the trick?

Bernardo Faria against Lagarto in the final at the 2012 European Championship / Photo by Raphael Nogueira/GRACIEMAG.com

When you’re fighting to keep your guard from getting passed and you end up on all fours, you know you’re not in the clear, yet.

One of the routes to take is to not get stuck there: grab the opponent’s leg and land on top. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to learn to defend while facing downwards.

The opponent can take your back, catch you in a clock choke, bear his weight down on the back of your neck, or do a whole assortment of other unpleasantries to you. What do you do? How do you defend?

In the following video, the black belt Sean Bansfield, a GMA of ours in Ann Arbor, Michigan, shows how to protect yourself in the position. At minute 1:01 he recommends turning safely when the opponent sticks the first hook in, thus conceding half-guard.

Another option, for when the opponent has your neck in his sights while in north-south position, is to break his grip and roll for top position—as in minute 2:05.

The third, at minute 3:20, is to rely on a position that embodies Jiu-Jitsu’s essence: without using any force at all, the Jiu-Jitsu professor simply sits and smoothly slides to the back of the fighter who was attacking him.

In the fourth and fifth variations, Sean teaches how to move forward to try to gain ground and avoid getting roughed up.

Give it a watch and let us know what you think.