Chicago MMA’s newest black belt, Kevin Irwin. Kevin owns and operates Guardian Jiu-Jitsu in Holland, Michigan.
It has been nearly 6 months since the gym had its initial closure back in March 2020 due to the novel coronavirus. You can wait until things are back to normal in order to resume training. However, the reality is that things will never be the same as how they were before the COVID pandemic. We have been holding outdoor classes since June 2020 and indoor BJJ/grappling classes since July 2020 using the Chicago Department of Public Health guidelines for the Health and Fitness industry. Although it is NOT required you can even protect yourself further by wearing a mask while participating in our outdoor classes (it’s mandatory to wear a facial covering/mask for indoor classes)!
Are you still trying to workout on your own? Running/jogging isn’t your thing? Don’t have enough fitness equipment at home or you are unsure of the actual programming needed to ensure that you are making progress toward your fitness goal(s)? Maybe you need the additional motivation from a group class or simply missing the social/community aspects of a gym? Combat sport isn’t like riding a bike. The longer you wait the more of your skills you will lose! Additionally, exercise is essential for well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sign up for a free trial class and see if we are the right gym for YOU!
Please book your classes ahead of time using the SIGN UP link on our weekly schedule. You can also schedule your classes ahead of time using the MindbodyOnline app (see the Get the app today section in the middle of the page). If you want to use the app you will first need to create an account with MBO (use the same email account as your membership).
You should also update your subscription settings so that you will receive email and/or text notifications when a class is cancelled. You can do this within our membership system (edit the Personal section under your Profile).
The triangle choke, also called the sankaku-jime in Japanese, first appeared in a real fight in 1994, during UFC 2, when Kung Fu practitioner Jason Delucia used it to defeat Scott Baker. But even before Kung Fu introduced the triangle to the UFC, Mel Gibson slapped a triangle choke on Gary Busey, who played the villain Mr. Joshua, in Lethal Weapon way back in 1987. Gibson was one of Rorian Gracie’s first students.
Although Delucia’s UFC career would eventually come to an end after losing to Royce Gracie at UFC 2 and Mel Gibson flushed his acting career down the toilet, their legacy—the triangle choke—survived and is still one of the most successful submissions in Mixed Martial Arts today.
While a primitive form of the triangle is said to date back to the 1890s, the technique was resurrected by Rolls Gracie back in the 1970s and has been used and further developed by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners for nearly 50 years.
The triangle choke is a figure-four chokehold that traps an opponent’s head and arm between the attacker’s legs, cutting off the carotid arteries. The name comes from the shape between the thighs as the figure four choke is secured. The triangle is one of the few submissions that can be applied from a variety of positions—closed guard, open guard, side control, mount, rear mount, and even while passing the guard. Its versatility is one of the main reasons that the triangle is still so effective after 130 years.
The cross is the most powerful strike you can throw with your hands. Many people have difficulty executing the cross effectively for a variety of reasons. Primarily, they fail to set up the cross properly. For example, most crosses are thrown after a jab. It is very difficult to land a cross without a proper setup against a skilled opponent. Second, many fighters fail to fully commit to throwing the punch. For you to successfully land the cross, you must take a risk by stepping towards your opponent, within striking range, exposing yourself to attacks. But remember without risk, there is no reward.
By Bruno Dacanay
Five years ago I walked through the doors of Chicago MMA not knowing that my life would be changed forever. As a 19 year old with minimal knowledge of Tae Kwon Do, I thought I knew it all and what Martial Arts was all about, I was extremely mistaken. I’ve never been more humbled than I was during that last ten minutes of class for light sparring, and I was hooked. I HAD TO GET BETTER.
Written by David Lewis
I’ve trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about a decade now and I’ve always admired the beauty of Roger Gracie’s Jiu jitsu. I realize that there are many that came before him that are amazing, but Roger has been and remains to this day my inspiration.
Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine combat sports, and grappling in particular, without leg locks. But for much of the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, leg attacks were frowned upon in practice and illegal in most competitions. If you asked any of the old school grapplers why, they would merely dismiss them as cheap tricks, nothing any respectable grappler would need to win. Oh, how times have changed.
John Danaher and the Danaher Death Squad—Gordon and Nicky Ryan, Garry, Tonon, Eddie Cummins, and others—have demonstrated the power of lower body attacks to the world by dominated some of the toughest black belts by going after their legs, something many of them were unfamiliar with. There’s an old proverb that says, “Never fight a lion on land, drag him into the sea.” And that is exactly what they did. The legs were completely foreign to most grapplers, unless, of course, they dabbled in Sambo, like the “Boogeyman.”
That was the case of Dean “The Boogeyman” Lister, former BJJ world champion and UFC fighter. Foot locks are as old as martial arts itself. You can even find old Kosen Judo videos on Youtube from the early 1900s with basic footlocks. In the late 1990s, Dean Lister begin to sweep through the competition with his leg attacks. People would refer to him simply as the “Sambo guy.” Dean had developed a system of straight footlocks, heel hooks, and toe holds that ultimately led him to victory in the biggest grappling title in the world in 2003, Adu Dhabi Combat Club absolute world champion.
After Dean’s success, others began to take notice of these new attacks. Little by little, more and more grapplers began to incorporate leg attacks. But it wasn’t until John Danaher and his new leg attack system did it become a mainstay of grappling competition.
In an interview a few years back, John Danaher, a Renzo Gracie blackbelt, recounted a conversation with Dean Lister where Dean said something that Danaher would never forget — “Why would you ignore half the body?” That really resonated with Danaher. It just made perfect sense. Why would you ignore the legs? From that point on, with the rigor of a nuclear physicist, John began to develop his system of leg locks from a variety of leg entanglements. Many of the moves had been around for decades. What John did so brilliantly was that he improved some of techniques, combined others, and built a progression out of them, linking them together.
Now, nearly two decades after Dean Lister took ADCC by storm, no grappling system would be complete without leg attacks.
Check out the Basic Straight Ankle Lock .
More videos from Coach Aleks Rajacic.
Ask any striking coach in the world, ”If you could take only one weapon into battle, what weapon would it be?” Without exception, they will say the jab. Regardless of the sport—boxing, Muay Thai, or MMA—the jab, when used correctly, is the most effective strike in combat sports.
In a typical boxing match or MMA fight, the jab is thrown far more than any other strike. Depending on the fighter, the jab is thrown a whooping 40-70% of the time. In the two 12-round fights between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, both guys used the jab as their primary weapon throughout the fights.
Triple G threw 183 jabs in the first fight and 200 jabs in the second, representing 69% and 76% of his total punches, respectively. Canelo, who didn’t throw quite as many as GGG, did use the jab 110 and 132 times, 54% and 60%.
Other fighters throw jabs at an even greater percentage. In 1986, a boxer by the name of Marvin Frazier threw only jabs the entire fight. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was a young and up-and-coming fighter by the name of Mike Tyson. Frazier had enough time to get off two jabs out of two total punches thrown before being knocked out.
Depending on who you ask, there are anywhere from a few types of jabs to maybe a dozen, including the traditional jab, power jab, flick jab, spear jab, up jab, pawing jab, and even a lazy jab (acceptable when used appropriately). Regardless of how many types of jabs you have in your arsenal or what you call them, the bottom line is that the jab is the most important strike you have.
The number of ways to use the jab is limitless. The jab can be used as an offensive weapon, by itself or as part of a punch-kick combination. Or it can be used for defense to deflect an attack as you retreat. The number of jabs you throw and the speed at which you throw them gives you infinite possibilities.
You can do a lot of different things with a jab. You can jab high to the head to cause damage or force a reaction, or jab low to the body to soften your opponent up or force him to lower his hand to expose his head. You can even jab at your opponent’s guard to slowly break it down over time.
The jab can also be used to keep your opponent off balance. You can fake the jab to see how your opponent reacts, and then use his reaction against him. For example, if you opponent favors slipping jabs to the outside. Guess what punch should be waiting for him after that fake jab? You got it! Throw your straight right where his head will be.
You can use the jab to attack while moving forward or you can use the jab to retreat as you move back. You can also circle to the right or left as you jab to create new angles on your opponent.
You can also play with the starting position of your lead or jabbing hand. Typically, your fist is at your chin, but in some cases, you can start with your fist extended a quarter of the way, half way, or even three-quarters of the way out. The further out your jab starts the quicker it reaches its intended target. But be careful -- the further away your fist is from your chin, the less power you'll be able to generate and the less protected your chin will be. (Remember, the chin is also known as the button. If someone presses it with their fist, good night!)
Over the years, I’ve had numerous boxing and kickboxing coaches. Each one taught the jab a little differently but all stressed the importance of the punch, saying there is no single punch more important than the jab.
How to properly throw the jab
Step 1. Start with the proper stance.
The proper stance will vary by fighter and sport. Fighters may even change their stance in the same fight. The basic stance is similar for the most part in most combat sports.
Start with your feet shoulder width or just beyond shoulder width apart. The angle of your stance will vary depending on the sport. For boxing, the stance tends to be more closed or staggered. For Muay Thai, the stance tends to be more open or square. Keep your shoulders loose and fist closed but relaxed. This will ensure that you reserve your energy and can react quickly when you need to.
Step 2. Step with your lead leg toward your target.
Stepping toward your target is a great way to generate power in the direction of the strike. Do you have to step forward every time you jab? Absolutely not! But for beginners, and even advanced students, it’s a great way to learn how to transfer your power into your fist. Plus, it’s teaching you timing and coordination. In a perfectly executed jab, your lead leg should land a split second before your punch lands. This ensures that your feet are grounded and your power is at the end of your punch; otherwise you have not maximized your power.
Step 3. Accelerate the jab straight from your chin, without telegraphing your intention, while keeping your fist vertical.
The jab should be fast, very fast, and without any signal that you are about to throw it. Like in poker, the fewer tells, the more likely you are to successfully connect. The fist will start in the vertical position as it begins its acceleration. Remember to keep your shoulders and fist loose in the initial phases of the punch. A closed, tight fist is far slower than a closed, loose one.
Step 4. As your punch approaches your target, begin to rotate your fist inward.
A good jab is more of a snap, not a push. Rotating your fist accomplishes two things. First, it helps to develop that snap in your punch (imagine a whip). Second, it ensures that your fist is in the right position at the end of the punch to hit the target with your two hard knuckles. As your fist rotates, you'll notice that your shoulder lifts slightly. This is a good thing. Keep your chin protected behind that shoulder.
Step 5. Squeeze your fist tightly just before impact.
You fist should start relaxed in order to react quickly. As you begin to rotate your fist, you should also begin to tighten your fist. Remember, all of this happens in a fraction of a second. Just before impact, the fist should be turned over, closed, and tight.
Step 6. Punch through the target.
Young fighters often punch at a target and not through it. Certainly, there are times you can strategically punch short or at the target, especially if you're trying to set something up. Ideally, you want to punch through a target to maximize your power. Punching through a target does not mean that you're trying to push your fist a foot past the target, throwing yourself off-balance; instead, imagine punching a couple of inches beyond the intended target.
Step 7. Retract your fist quickly back to your chin.
Your jab should come back to base as quickly as it was fired. Leaving your jab extended too long makes you vulnerable to counters. If you're doubling up on your jab, you don’t have to retract it back to your chin, but merely half way to ensure the second jab follows quickly behind the first. But remember, two jabs, two steps. Step with each jab. Three jabs, three steps.
Step 8. Enjoy your work, but not for too long.
A jab, perfectly executed and timed, can end a fight. But in most cases, the jab is used to gauge distance, break down and off-balance your opponent, and to set up your other strikes. If your jab doesn’t land, it is unlikely that any of your other strikes will land. Use it often, but use it in the right way.
Check out my video on how to practice the jab through a progression. The video assumes you have the proper stance, footwork, and know-how to throw a basic jab.
Now get to work!
Key Takeaways:
Maintain a closed but loose fist until a split second before impact. A loose fist will travel faster than a tight fist will.
Rotate your fist inwards as the punch accelerates.
Strike your target with the top knuckle and the top middle knuckle on your hand. These two knuckles are the strongest knuckles of your fist.
Keep your non-jabbing hand up and open to protect your face from counter attacks at all times.
Don’t jab at the target. Jab through the target.
Don’t overcommit the jab. If your head is sailing past your lead leg, you will be off balance.
Bring your punches home. Jab always starts at your chin and finishes at your chin.
Practice every day. Throw hundreds, even thousands, of jabs per day while you shadowbox. Practice the different types at different speeds and different levels. Don’t forget to incorporate fake jabs.
You can view more videos here.